Three Questions About the Buccaneers as Training Camp Gets Going

With Dirk Koetter running the Bucs ship in 2018, the team got off to a shocking start in which they topped the Saints and Eagles to start the season.

With Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing for tons of yards out of nowhere, the team sat at 3-3 after an overtime win over the Browns on October 21st.

Then the wheels came off, with poor play the rest of the season, the club went 2-8, ending the season at 5-11 and costing Koetter his job.

Now it’s former Cards coach Bruce Arians running the show, and hoping to turn things around for 2019 and beyond.

Let’s take a look at three questions about this team as camp gets rolling.

1. Arian’s Fingerprints

Bruce Arians brings a great resume to the Bucs, having led the Cards to three winning seasons out of five, including a 13-3 season in 2015.

He’ll make sure to voice his opinion to the current players on the roster, making sure they know that this is now his team, and he’s going to do whatever he can to turn around last seasons 5-11 mark.

Make no mistake, it’s Arian’s team, and he’s going to make it known early and often, and if someone doesn’t agree, they won’t be around long.

2. Winston’s Last Shot

With Ryan Fitzpatrick in Miami, it’s now Jameis Winston’s team to run. He will during camp get every shot to be the guy once again, but you have to wonder if this is going to be the last chance for him to show what a #1 overall pick can do.

Winston last season threw for 19 touchdowns and 14 picks with a QB rating of 71.8. The team was 3-6 when he started.

The 24-year-old is 21-33 in four years as a starter, and while the Bucs have invested a ton into him over these last four seasons, he’s got to step up and show what he can do.

3. A Defense That Needs an Overhaul

Last season the Bucs were 31st in the league when it came to allowing points, and when you look at the schedule, they allowed 30 or more points in eight of 16 games.

Enter Todd Bowles, the former Jets coach who will now be in charge of running the defense and trying to get them back to where they need to be.

This D needs to do everything better, pressure the QB, stop the run and create turnovers.

Look for Bowles to be held accountable for the way this D plays in 2019.